Under The Cherry Blossom Trees
by Yuri Namikaze1
Summary: Ever since the slaughter of his clan, Sasuke has only had one goal in life. It's all he cares about. That is until he meets Naruto. The blonde shows him how much fun life can be when you finally decide to start living in the present. "It's because you're living in the past that you can't let go. Your memories aren't there to haunt you, Sasuke. They're there to teach you."
1. Chapter I: Monochrome Hue

It's April 8th, and it's finally starting to look like spring. In a couple months, we'll be graduating and put into teams of three with a jonin to watch over us as our new sensei. It's then that I will begin my training, to finally kill the one who betrayed my entire clan. It's been my goal since I was eight years old. Since then, I've focused on nothing but that single goal. Everything and everyone else is just dull colorless background to me. Nothing is more important than my goal, and I will see to its completion.

I slide out of bed, going about my usual daily routine. I finish getting dressed and just as always, at 8:00 am, there's a hard pounding on my door. "I'll be right there." I call out. I walk over to my entryway. I grab my backpack off the hook near the front door and slide on my shoes for school.

When I answer the door, my pink-haired classmate is already tapping her foot impatiently. She does this every morning. It doesn't really matter how long I take, by now I'm sure it's just by force of habit. Even so, it's one of the few things I find humorous about my day. "Good morning, Sakura." I say, stepping out of the house.

She smiles brightly at me. "Good morning, Sasuke! I think this is the shortest amount of time I've ever had to wait for you." She tells me. I start walking towards the direction of the school, and she falls in line next to me.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Ino will make up for it." I tell her. At this Sakura huffs, every morning we walk to Ino's house, so all three of us can walk to school together. And every morning, Ino wakes up late, so every time we get to her house she's always still getting dressed.

We use to eat breakfast at school, or on the way to school, but every single time we'd do so we'd be late. In order to make it on time, and not starve until lunch, Sakura has taken to making breakfast at Ino's house. This way Ino can finish getting ready, and by the time she's done, breakfast is too.

We make it to Ino's house in ten minutes. Sakura pounds on Ino's door, much louder than she had my own. This is necessary since sometimes Ino isn't even awake when we get here. We stand outside and listen to the sound of someone running down a set of stairs from inside the house. Ino flings the door open with a toothbrush in her mouth, then quickly runs back up the stairs to finish getting ready. Sakura rolls her eyes, and I chuckle lightly. We both shout good morning, to which we receive a muffled one back.

Sakura looks through Ino's fridge debating on what to make for today. "French toast or pancakes?" She asks. Green eyes looking up at me, expectantly.

"French toast," I say. She chuckles, having already known my answer. I hate sweets, and to me, french toast can be eaten without any syrup.

She takes out bread, cinnamon, eggs, butter, and a few strips of bacon. Once she's finished cooking everything, she starts putting the food on plates for each of us. Right as the third plate's bacon was slid onto it, Ino came down the stairs, fully dressed with her backpack in her hand. After putting the pans in the sink, Sakura comes around the bar to sit next to me, and Ino slides into the seat next to her. As we eat, we fall into easy conversation. I'm mostly quiet commenting on a few things here and there.

Sitting here with them, it's how it always is for me. My life may not be bright, and my future might be just as dull as my present. But, I'm fine with the way things are now.

*~oOo~*

After school, Ino and Sakura stay behind to help younger academy students with their ninja training and sometimes studies. Normally, I'd stay and try to help as best I can, but today, I've decided to go home early. I think I just need a little time to myself. Or maybe I'm just tired of today, I could use a good nap.

Right as I'm about to cross the street to begin my journey home, Sakura comes running up to me. "Wait up!" She yells. I stop, turning around to face her. She stands in front of me, only slightly panting. "I asked Ino if she didn't mind me walking you home first. She said it was fine." Sakura tells me.

"You don't need to, Sakura. I'm perfectly capable of making it back to my place on my own." I tell her. I turn around to start walking again, but the light has turned green. A bunch of cars are driving passed, showing that we've missed our chance to cross.

Sakura joins me by my side anyway, not caring in the slightest when I glare at her for making me miss my chance to cross. In fact, she smiles at me in return. "I'd be lying if I said I'm only here to walk you home, Sasuke." She tells me.

"Then why are you here?" I ask. The light turns red again, and we're able to go across the street. We head to the other sidewalk together, going in the direction of my house.

"I wanted to ask you something." She supplies. I hum in response, signifying her to continue. She rolls her eyes at what she considers a boring response. "I want you to come with me and Ino tomorrow. A friend of mine told me he likes her. I'm going to introduce them."

"So why do you need me there?" I ask. It doesn't really sound like a way I'd 'like' to spend my Saturday.

"Well, if they hit it off, they're going to be all into each other and probably ignoring me. This way, I can have someone else to talk to." Sakura explains, sounding as if she's quite proud of herself for thinking all this up.

"Alright fine." I say. There are worse ways to spend a day. Besides, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious just who this person is. Ino is sweet and all, but she can be an airhead and extremely insensitive, maybe even a little racy. I know she isn't a slut or anything near it, but a lot of people just assume.

We turn a corner, and there sitting on the sidewalk is a black crow. We stop walking. I stare at it for a long time, and I can't help but feel like it's staring right back at me. Memories of that day start flashing through my mind. My heart clenches as it's reminded of everything that's been taken from me.

Sakura's eyes are on me, probably trying to figure out what's wrong and why we've stopped. Her eyes land on the crow. She doesn't know what it means to me, only that whenever I see one, I tend to tense up. She probably has some kind of inkling that it has to do with my clan, but she's never asked me directly. Perhaps she knows what that kind of question would do to me.

"What about you, Sasuke?" She says. I look over at her, my attention away from the bird. I don't get to see it fly away. "Isn't there anyone you have a crush on?" I look at her curiously, but it's like she doesn't even register it, as she goes on. "Hinata said something the other day. That when you're in love with somebody, everything looks colorful."

"There's no one who would fall in love with me, not really anyway. The people who like me; it's only superficial. Once they got to know the real me, I'm sure they'd run like hell." It just comes out. I didn't even mean to say it really. It's a little too real, even for me, but it's how I truly feel.

"We're both fourteen, yet we're so different. There's so much you're going through, but you're not handling it well. Your eyes don't sparkle like they use to when you were a kid." She tells me. The comment hits me hard. How could it not? We both know why that's the case.

I don't bother to say anything for a long time, so we walk together in silence. When we get to my home, I reach into my pocket to take out my keys. I open the door without saying a word then step inside, turning around to face Sakura again, I say, "Your eyes sparkle enough for the both of us Sakura. I'm sure your world is as bright and colorful as your future. I don't think it will ever be the same for me, but knowing it's like that for you, that's enough for me." With that, I close the door.

 **I decided to combine the first and second chapter. Both are kind of short, and I think they read better together. Anyways, please review, favorite, and share!**


	2. Chapter II: World With Color

**Another note before you read, I know I keep doing this. It's because I forget things. Anyway, they have technology, not like us, more like in the year 2003 when flip phones were popular. Enjoy!**

Later that night, whilst I'm getting out of the shower, I receive a message from Sakura. _'Hey, I asked you if you would come with us on Saturday, but I totally forgot to tell you where to meet us at. We're going to meet in front of the park tomorrow at 10 am. Don't be late, okay? ;)'_

I roll my eyes at Sakura's joke. I'm sure she's in her room right now smiling down at her phone, thinking about how funny and clever she is. _'You know I'm always the first one anywhere. Just make sure you're not late. I don't know who this mystery person is that likes Ino, but I'm sure they're just as tardy as she is.'_ After pressing send, I close my phone, leaving it on my nightstand. Then, I put the charger in, so it can charge over night.

I walk over to my dresser, pulling open one of the drawers to take out some underwear. I slide on the black boxer briefs I have folded on top. Then, I turn around and walk back over to my bed. I pull the blankets off and drag them to the living room with me. I lay down on the sofa, wrapping the blankets around myself, before turning on the TV.

The next morning, I wake up at 8 am. I'm still on the couch, having fallen asleep there the day before. It's a good thing that my parents bought an expensive brand of furniture right before the _accident_. Otherwise, my back would probably be hurting and extremely stiff right now.

I get up going about my normal routine, so I can be on time for whatever it is Ino and Sakura have planned today. Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be boring. I've known Sakura pretty much all my life; we met Ino three years back. Since then, the three of us have always been together. I never have a bad time with them, and they definitely keep me on my feet. But through all that time, Ino's never once had a solid relationship. She's quite the flirt, but I've never seen her get into an actual relationship with anyone. So, I don't see why Sakura would even try and set up one of her friends with Ino. She knows how the Yamanaka is. Unless, she actually thinks this guy will be different. Which brings me to why I said yes in the first place, because if Sakura thinks he has a chance, perhaps he actually could. And if he does, I have to see the guy who's going to change Ino Yamanaka into a person who prefers to be in monogamous relationships.

I'm already finished getting dressed by 9:30 am. Since I've got nothing better to do, I decide to go ahead and start walking to the park. This way I can pick up breakfast along the way.

By the time I get to the park entrance, I've already finished the breakfast burrito I picked up as well as my black coffee. It's 10 am, and of course, no one is here except for me. I knew it was going to happen. Sakura is probably at Ino's house still trying to help the girl find something to wear. I sigh. This is going to take a while. Well, as long as I'm waiting, I may as well walk around a bit. I'm sure they'll call once they're all at the entrance, and I'm not there.

The cherry blossoms have finally bloomed to full capacity. People always say they're beautiful. No matter how many times they've seen them, it takes their breath away. I don't really see the appeal. They're just plants to me.

I walk along the park's dirt path. Each step I take, there are fallen cherry blossoms underneath my feet. I look around the park at the multiple people here on a Saturday morning. There are adults, children, dogs, and some teens as well. It's like one of those perfect scenes out of a movie, but somehow, I feel it's not as bright as it should be.

"Can we please see your new jutsu, Naruto-sensei?" I hear a young boy ask. I look to the left, towards where the voice is coming from. There are three children around the age of ten, two boys and one girl. The one who asked the question, having dark hair and a long blue scarf around his neck, despite the temperature outside.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Smoke surrounds the three kids and their sensei. There are shouts of awe from the children. As the smoke starts to clear, the first thing I'm able to see is a swirling ball of blue chakra. Once the smoke is gone completely, I'm able to see their sensei. A blonde boy, about my age, with bright blue eyes, and three whisker marks on each cheek. He's grinning proudly as he shows off his brand new jutsu. His eyes meet mine for only a second, but they soften just a bit.

It's then, something odd happens.

My eyes widen, as my breath is taken away from me.

My whole world changes right before my eyes.

It's no longer dull.

But colorful.

Insanely colorful.

Bright.

...Could this be what Sakura meant?

Suddenly, I get the urge to take a picture. I pull out my phone from my pocket. I flip it open, immediately going to the camera. I take a picture of the whiskered teen, proudly holding his new jutsu. In it, he looks perfect. Unbeknownst to me, my flash was on.

When I look up, all four of them are staring right at me, but the blonde is the first to speak up. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, weirdo?" Naruto yells out. I blink, unsure how to respond. In retrospect, I can see how this looks. I'm taking a picture of a complete stranger without permission.

Nonetheless, the blonde isn't the least bit intimidated by my actions. He walks up to me, the three children run off not wanting to get involved. Though the one with a blue scarf, does decide to give me a warning by making a motion with his hand signifying I was going to die, before running off to join his friends.

"You just go around snapping pictures of people without their permission?" He yells at me. I try to explain myself, but the blonde isn't hearing any of it. Especially not after he gets a look at said picture which is specifically of him. "If you think you can get away with stalking me, you've got another thing coming, creep! You better-"

"Naruto!" Sakura calls out.

The blonde teen turns around to see Sakura and Ino walking towards us. "Sakura!" He says, his personality instantly changing from rough and hostile to a good-natured and friendly. He runs over to her and Ino, saying good morning, as if nothing happened before.

I frown, confused at the sudden change in temperament. But glad for it all the same, it wouldn't have been an easy thing to explain had Naruto decided to tell them all about it.

"Well then, now that we've found you both. Let's start with greetings." Sakura says, not having heard the screaming going on before. "This is Ino Yamanaka. She's part of the amazing Yamanaka clan, which we all know and love. She's known for her great fashion sense, and she can be quite the sweetheart when she wants to be." Sakura tells Naruto, who's now standing in front of Ino looking like she's the greatest thing in the world.

"And this is Naruto Uzumaki, he loves to have a good time and is super nice to those who deserve it. He's one of the strongest students in our school, thanks to his training under the Legendary Sanin, Jiraiya." Sakura says, talking both of them up to each other. They exchange hellos, and a few flirty comments as well.

"And not that it really matters," Sakura starts jokingly, as she walks over to me. "This is friend A." She introduces me, not even bothering to say my name. I glare at her, but she only giggles in return.

Naruto walks over to me. One of his hands rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Hey, I'm sorry about my behavior earlier, Freind A. I hope you can forgive me." He starts, but once he's close enough that no one else can see his face; he glares at me, whispering, "You can't fool me, creep. I know what game you're playing. If you cross me, I won't hesitate to take you down."

I glare right back, and after a second, he turns back around with a smile. His constant switching of emotions is definitely giving me whiplash. I roll my eyes as he goes back over to Ino. How the hell was I ever transfixed by that idiot? Even as I think this though, I can't help but notice, just how bright the cherry blossoms are now.

 **Please review, favorite, and share and all that stuff! :)**


	3. Chapter III: Don't Hide Away

While Ino and Naruto are chatting it up, Sakura comes over and stands next to me. She grins, as she looks up at me, a mischievous look in her pastel green eyes. "Hey, Sasuke," she whispers, playfully jabbing my arm with her elbow. I look over at her confused by her sudden behavior. "Beating Ino to the punch by approaching Naruto first, smart move. I didn't know you had it in you." She says, shaking her head in mock disbelief at what she believes my intentions to be.

I frown at the accusation. Of course, she'd immediately think that. She and Ino watch way too many of those soap operas. "It wasn't like that at all. I only bumped into him coincidentally." I tell her.

She rolls her eyes. "I was only joking, Sasuke." She tells me, still smiling. Then she looks over at the two of them. They're talking and laughing, clearly smitten with each other. You can almost see the sparks flying. "But it's a good thing you don't like him, because Naruto is totally into Ino. You're just friend A, here to be a supporting role."

"Hn. It's not like I would've have had a chance anyway. He likes Ino, and he doesn't exactly strike me as bisexual either." I say shrugging it off. Perhaps, I'm just acting like it's not a big deal, but in the end, whether it is or isn't doesn't really matter. I don't have a chance with Naruto. That's all that matters.

"Well, you'd be wrong." Sakura says. I look up at her surprised, but she isn't looking at me anymore. Instead, she's looking down at her watch. "Naruto!" She calls out. Naruto looks back at her confused. "Don't you have to be somewhere at 10:30?" She asks.

"Oh, that's right! How could I forget?" Naruto yells out, face-palming.

"Huh? What's the rush all of a sudden?" Ino asks genuinely concerned. Which is surprising for her since she hardly ever worries about being on time, she just let's others do the worrying for her.

"Come on the show starts in 5 minutes!" Naruto exclaims. He starts running towards the center of the village, and we all follow him without question.

"You're going to be late." Ino comments, as we're all running towards a large wooden building with lanterns decorating the outside. On the lanterns are pictures of hand-painted suns, and in bright gold letters, is the name of the establishment, Sunny Opportunities. Just underneath that, it reads: "We hold competitions for children and teens."

I slow down.

My feet stop moving.

"I know this building." I say. It hadn't registered at first, probably because I've been trying my best to ignore every part of my past since that night, but this is where my brother use to show off some of his skills before he joined the Anbu. Uchiha are known for performing and winning here, in pretty much every area of competition. If you win, you get prize money.

Though most Uchiha liked coming here since it was easy money, Itachi never particularly liked doing it. He only did it, because as he got older, the village elders wanted to see more of what he could do. He didn't always show it in the field, because not many people that he fought were able to provide sufficient competition for that level of combat.

Nonetheless, whatever competition Itachi took part in, he won. I had always wanted to perform here, to be like my big brother and the rest of our clan. But somewhere down the line, I suppose that dream fell apart. Itachi stopped coming here. He refused it once, and they never asked again. His distaste for the clan is was becoming more apparent to me, and he made it clear he wanted me to find my own way, to not be like everyone else here. Shortly after that, he joined the Anbu.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asks. He's now standing in front of me. His arms are crossed, and he's frowning. "You are going to come and watch me aren't you friend A?" It's a question, but it sounds more like a demand.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna to get going. I've got a few things I need to do today, so I'll see you all tomorrow." The excuse sounds weak, even to my own ears. Sakura looks disappointed, and Ino looks away, saddened. But both of them have a knowing look in their eyes, so they don't push.

"What a shitty excuse!" Naruto yells. All three of us look up at him surprised. My eyes meet his fiery blue ones, and of all things, the idiot smiles at me. "I want you to see me perform." He says, this time his tone is softer. "It won't be the same without you, Friend A, so please, _come_."

Before I know it, I finds myself nodding. Perhaps, it's those pure blue eyes of his, or maybe it's the fact that I owe him for bringing color to my world. Whatever it is, I'm glad for it. Because he grabs my hand, making electricity shoot through it, and starts running towards the building again.

As I watch his figure running ahead of me, leading me to a place filled with good memories, now rendered not so great. I notice my world bursting with color. Everything seems to move slower, as he looks back at me offering a genuine smile.

~oOo~*

When we get inside, Naruto has to hurry backstage to get ready for his performance while the rest of us find some seats in the theatre to get ready to watch the show. After a few minutes, the curtain is drawn.

A woman is shown in the middle of the stage. She has on a long sparkly black dress with bright red lipstick and tall bright red pumps to match. She has dark brown eyes, and her hair has been curled into large dark brown coils that shape her face perfectly.

"Hello, everyone!" She calls out giving a large wave. "My name is Aoi Inuzuka!" My eyes widen at the name. She's the same woman that was here when my brother still performed now and then. "This is the Spring Art Competition part 1, for ages 13-17! Please sit back and enjoy the wonderful show we have coming your way! Don't forget to cast your vote for audience favorite at the end!" She tells us. After a bow, she introduces the first contestant. Then she leaves the stage as they come on.

The first contestant is a girl. She has auburn colored hair and bright green eyes. She uses her water style jutsu to make paint, and then proceeds to paint a picture in front of us all. She does so quickly, so that she won't run out of time. When she's finished, she steps back from it, letting us get a clear view. It's a painting of the audience peering down at the stage with her and her painting on it.

"Wow!" Sakura whispers. "That's amazing!" She's right. It's a beautiful painting, but I'm unable to enjoy it fully. The memories this place comes with. They're all coming back to me. They're nice memories of pleasant times, but they only serve to haunt me, making me feel sick.

Next on, is a boy. He has brunette hair with hazel eyes. Using earth style, he manages to make a picture out of only rocks. He smoothes it out once he's done, and the picture on it is exquisite. He shows it to the audience who gawk at it, and we all give him a hand.

By the third act, I'm beginning to see a pattern. Everyone who's come out so far has only used some kind of jutsu, in the third act's case bugs, or an element of nature to make something pretty. Most do a picture, a few do objects, but it's all the same. I suppose it's not called an art show for no reason. By the fifth contestant, I've completely stopped paying attention, and I'm sitting in my seat drowning in my memories.

My feet are in my seat now. My legs are drawn up, and my arms are wrapped around them. I've hidden my face within my knees, but I can still feel Sakura's concerned eyes on me. She doesn't touch me or try to talk to me, probably thinking I need space. I don't need space though. I need a distraction. I need-

"Next up, is Naruto Uzumaki!"

 **Unfortunately, I will no longer be continuing this story. I do hope all of you enjoyed this much. As always, thank you for all the support and love!**


End file.
